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their
This word functions as a possessive determiner, indicating ownership or association. It is primarily used for plural antecedents, but has become standard in modern English as a gender-neutral singular pronoun to avoid the clunky his or her construction when the subject's gender is unknown or irrelevant.
Because it is a determiner, it must always precede a noun or another determiner. It should not be confused with the possessive pronoun theirs, which stands alone without a following noun, or the contraction they're, which combines they and are.
Meanings
Belonging to or associated with two or more people or things previously mentioned.
They left their umbrellas in the hallway.
Belonging to or associated with a single person whose gender is not specified or is irrelevant.
Everyone should bring their own lunch to the meeting.
Examples
The students submitted their assignments before the deadline.
I wonder if they have finished their dinner yet.
The dragons guarded their hoard of gold fiercely.
Someone left their keys on the breakroom table.
The company expanded their operations into Asia last year.
If a guest arrives early, please show them to their room.
They need to coordinate their schedules for the project.
Each player must maintain their own equipment.
The detectives followed their lead to the old warehouse.
Collocations & Compounds
their own
Noun collocation: used to emphasize that something belongs to a particular person or group and not to anyone else
She decided to start their own business after years of working for others.
their way
Noun collocation: the specific manner or method in which people do something
They have their way of handling stress that doesn't always make sense to others.
Etymology
Derived from Old English "their," which was adopted from Old Norse "theirra" (the genitive plural of "their"). This replaced the original Old English possessive form "heora" to better distinguish between third-person plural and third-person singular possessives. It traces back to the Proto-Germanic root theira.